The Library of Congress

06/05/2026

This weekend, June 6, marks the anniversary of D-Day. Early that morning, Americans received word that three years of concerted war efforts had culminated in massive movement by American, British and Canadian forces. Overnight, more than 5,300 ships and 11,000 planes had crossed the English Channel, aiming to saturate the beaches of Normandy, France with Allied forces. The goal was to drive the German military back to Berlin.

These photographs from the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division show scenes from New York City that day as Americans absorbed the news in various ways, including a news ticker in Times Square.

Images: New York, New York. Times Square and vicinity on D-Day. Photographed by Howard R. Hollem, MacLaugharie, Edward Meyer. June 6, 1944. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information photograph collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

A large group of people watch an electronic sign in Times Square for news about the D-Day invasion. The photographer is between the group and the news ticker.

A large group of people watch an electronic sign in Times Square for news about the D-Day invasion. The photographer is behind the group, the news ticker is in view.

A small group of people, including two sailors sitting on suitcases, watch an electronic sign in Times Square for news about the D-Day invasion.

A group of people gathered around a posted announcement that reads: "Invasion News."

06/04/2026

On this day in 1919, Congress approved the woman’s suffrage amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. Adding the amendment to the Constitution required ratification by three-fourths of the states, which at that time was 36 of 48.

The National Woman’s Party led by Alice Paul began sewing stars on a giant purple, white, and gold flag. Each time a state ratified the 19th Amendment, a new star would be sewn on the flag.

The 19th Amendment became law more than a year after Congress approved the amendment. The 36th state, Tennessee, voted to ratify on August 18, 1920. This image shows Alice Paul unfurling that flag from the suffrage headquarters on that day.

The Library of Congress is home to the NWP records and library collection.

Image: Photo shows a group of women waving their arms in celebration while the ratification banner with its 36 victory stars hangs from the balcony of the National Woman's Party headquarters. 1920. Photo by Harris & Ewing. National Women's Party Records, Library of Congress.

06/03/2026

For World Bicycle Day: Bicycle advertisements were prolific in the 19th and early 20th century, just as automobile ads are today. Here are a few beautiful ones from the Library of Congress collection.

Images: Poster advertisement for Deesse Bicycles shows an illustration of a semi-nude goddess in flight holding bicycle above crowd of bicyclists from all over the world. Art by Jean de Paleologue.

Ad features an illustration of a woman on a bicycle. It reads: "The Prudent buyer selects the Shirk, the latest, neatest, and lightest bicycle in the world."

Poster ad for L'Etendard Français shows an illustration of a woman riding a bicycle, carrying a tri-color pennant. Art by Jules Chéret.

06/01/2026

Magazine Monday | For America's 250th birthday, a new Library exhibition will explore the impact and meaning of the Declaration of Independence across hundreds of years of American history. https://lcm.loc.gov/issue/may-june-2026/the-declarations-promise/?loclr=fbloc

New exhibition explores the foundational principles of the Declaration of Independence.

05/29/2026

JOIN US! The Library of Congress is saluting 250 years of America fashion during the month of June. Visitors are invited to test their knowledge of 250 years of American style during a special edition of "Who Knew?" trivia on June 4 – and dance the night away during a fashion-themed costume ball in the Great Hall on June 11.

Live! At the Library to Feature Fashion and Jazz in JuneLineup Features Fashion Through the Ages Costume Ball, Trivia on American Style and Jazz Programs The Library of Congress is saluting 250...

05/27/2026

The Golden Gate Bridge opened to the public for the first time on this day in 1937. More than 200,000 people paid 25 cents to walk the bridge, equal to about $5.75 in today's dollars. The next day the bridge opened to cars. This footage is from the Prelinger Archives, acquired by the Library of Congress in 2002.

The collection is comprised of more than 48,000 historical "ephemeral" motion pictures—advertising, educational, industrial, amateur and documentary films depicting everyday life, culture and industry in America throughout the 20th century.

05/26/2026

Photographer Dorothea Lange was born on this day in 1895. Many of her photos, including these, are in the U.S. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information photograph collection at the Library of Congress.

The first image shown here, known as "Migrant Mother," is one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century. It's the most well-known shot of a series taken by Lange in March 1936 of the same family of "destitute pea pickers" in Nipomo, California.

The photographs of the Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection form an extensive pictorial record of American life between 1935 and 1944. This U.S. government photography project initially documented cash loans made to individual farmers by the Resettlement Administration and the construction of planned suburban communities. The second stage focused on the lives of sharecroppers in the South and migratory agricultural workers in the midwestern and western states. As the scope of the project expanded, the photographers eventually turned to recording both rural and urban conditions throughout the United States as well as mobilization efforts for World War II.

Images: Dorothea Lange's famous "Migrant Mother" photograph features a mother holding a baby. Small children are leaning on each of her shoulders with their faces turned behind her, away from the camera. Their clothes are tattered. They are sitting under a lean-to tent structure in the middle of an empty field. The mother wears a look of concern. Each of the other photographs features essentially the same scene, of the mother holding the baby, but with the woman's other children in different configurations around her. In the final photograph, taken with a wider angle, there are a total of three other children around the mother, in addition to the baby she's holding.

05/25/2026

In honor of Memorial Day: The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress collects and preserves firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans.

But did you know Gold Star Family members may also contribute accounts about their loved ones? Learn more. ⬇️
https://ask.loc.gov/veterans-history/faq/304254?loclr=fbloc

05/22/2026

Here are some of the smallest books at the world's largest library! 🔍📚

05/21/2026

NEWS: The Library of Congress will make a trailblazing contribution to the America250 Time Capsule in Philadelphia in July: a tiny metal vial holding synthetic DNA encoded with digital copies from the Library’s collections.

The Library initiated a molecular data storage feasibility study in response to a request from Congress in 2024. As a result, the Library has been examining the storage capabilities of a new medium, synthetic DNA. An entirely manufactured molecule, synthetic DNA is designed to replicate the exceptional information density of nature’s best storage medium: DNA itself.

Working with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Lab, the Library has converted selected digital data into synthesized DNA strands encased in a metal vial about the length of a pencil eraser.

Learn more here:
https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/library-to-add-cutting-edge-molecular-data-storage-device-carrying-digitized-collections-to-america-/s/a091ed78-3d12-4d4a-8e60-673f8cffb825?loclr=fbloc

Images: A one gigabyte synthetic DNA storage pellet encoded with digital copies of Library collection items is displayed alongside Thomas Jefferson's handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence, one of the many items molecularly stored, May 14, 2026. The DNA pellet will be buried in a time capsule in Philadelphia to mark America's 250th birthday, and is set to be reopened in 2276. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

A one gigabyte synthetic DNA storage capsule containing digitized versions of Library of Congress collections treasures (next to a U.S. quarter for scale), is prepared to be included in a time capsule for America's 250th anniversary this summer. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.